Moving-picture machine.



V. L. DUHEM.

MOVING PICTURE MACHINE.

APPLIGATIQH FILED MAY15,1911. 1,108,838.

Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

is it UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR Ia. DUHEM, OF OAKLAND, GALIPEDR-NIA, ASSIGIYOR T VIM MOTION PICTURE COMPANY. A CORFCRA.

TION or CALIFORNIA.

MOVING-PICTURE MACHINE.

Serial No. 627,216

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VICTOR L. Donmi. a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county" of Alameda and Stateof California,.ha-ve invented new and useful Improvements in Moving Picture Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to a moving picture machine, such as is employed in taking or in exhibiting a series of photographs of objects, and particularly pertains to a machine for producing motion or kineto'scopic pictures in natural colors.

It is the object of thisihv'ention to pro-. vide a machine for photographing or dis- I playing motion pictures. in natural colors.

Another object is to provide a means for manipulating the film or long photographic strip used in taking or reproducing kinetoscopic pictures,- by which the ribbon of film will be caused to travel continuously from one reel on to another, which means includes a simple mechanism for giving the film a reciprocating movement in conjunction with and during its constant travel, so as to cause willbe made on, or exhibited from the film in staggered or alternate arrangement, one series photographing or exhibiting images of one color. while the other series photographs or exhibits images of another color.

The invention consists of the parts and the combination and construction of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of a moving picture camera showing the invention as applied. Fig. 2 is a detail showing a section of film ribbon and illustrating th e arrangement of the exposures made by the ca mora shown in Fig. l. 3 is a detail, in section on the line X K, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail in section on the line Y Y, Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A. represents a camera case of any suitable construction. on which a pair of spaced superposed lenses 2-2are mounted, and is a transverse partition in the case A, disposed thereacross a short distance from the inner end of the lenses 2-2 and having openings 4i registering with the lenses, and which openings are covered by transparent plates 5- 5 mounted on the inner side of the partition. Gates 6-6 are mounted on the partitions 3 and are adapted to be closed against the inner faces of the plates 55 to press a ribbon of film F thereagainst, which film F passes between the plates 5 5 and gates 66, as will be later described. The camera case A is also provided with a partition B which extends longitudinally thereof at right angles to the partition 3, and revolublv mounted on the exterior of this partition, B is a gear wheel 7 which is adapted to be rotated by means of a-crank 8, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l or in any other suitable manner. The gear 7 is meshed with a series of three pinions a. b andc, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, which pinions are suitably disposed at intervals around the gear 7 and each pinion is mounted'on a short shaft mounted in and extending through the partition B- I p 3 Mounted on the partition B above the gear wheel 7 and spaced therefrom, is a similar gear 7 which is adapted to be rotated in unison with. and in the same direction as the gear 7, by means of suitable transmissionmeclianism, here shown in dotted lines in Fig.1 as a belt, which passes around suitable pulleys on the outer faces of the'gears 77. The gear? also meshes with a series of three pinions, indicated in dotted linesin Fig. 1, and designated at (5-6 and f,

which pinions are mounted on short shafts extending through the-partition B and are disposed at suitable intervals around the gear 7'. g r

The shafts on which the pinions b andd are-mountedhave sprocket wheels 9 andlO, respectively, mounted on their inner ends, which sprockets are adapted to engage perforations on the outer edges of the film ribbon F which is designed to pass thereover, an idler wheel 11 hearing against each of the sprocket wheels 9-10, to prevent the Patented Aug. 25, 1914..

film jumping oil the sprockets when in mo- .tion. hlounted on the inner. ends of the shafts on which the pinions (6,0,6 and f are mounted, are disks 12l2-1313, and mounted on. the outer face of each disk is a pin 14 disposed eccentric to the center of the disk on ivl'zich a sprocket wheel 15,- corresponding to the sprocket wheels 910, is revolubly mounted. I

The film F, on which the photographic impressions are to be made iswound on reel 16 mounted in a film-box 17 arranged in thea camera case A, and is fed' from the box 17 over the sprocket- 10, under a direction roller 18, over the sprocket 15 'on the disk 12, thence between the plate and the gate 6 and around the sprocket on the disk-18, over and'around direction rollers 19-19 thence over and around the sprocket 15 on-the disk 12, between the plate 5 and the gate 6, under and around the sprocket 15 on the disk 13 over a direction roller 18, under the sprocket 9, and into a film box 20,

where it is wound upon a reel 21, which reel is rotatedby means of a resilient belt 22 from a pulley formed onv the gear 7. .A rotary shutter 23*93 is mountedon the case A adjacent the inner end of each of the lenses 2-2, and. each shutter has a beveled pin-ion 24-2 formed thereon, which meshes with a beveled pinion '2525' formed integral with a pin-ion g constantly in mesh with the gears 77. 1

The operation of the film moving portion of this invention is as follows: The film being rove over the various sprockets and direction rollers, as before described, from the reel 16 to the reel 21, the master gear 7' is rotated by means of the crank 8, which causes the gear 7 and the pinions a, b, c, (Z, can'd f to rotate and revolve the respective parts connected therewith; the pinion (5 r0- tating the sprocket 10 to feed the film" F from the reel 1,6 to the sprockets 15, and the pinion b rotating the sprocket 9\ to take up the film and deliver it to the reel 21 upon which-it is wound by the action of the belt 22. As the rotation of the gears 77v and pinions o-d isconstant, it willbe seen that the movement of the film from one reel to the other will be continuous. The pinions a, c, e, f, also rotate as the gears "(f- 1" revolve,-and rotate the disks 12-12, 1313 therewith, .which disks carry the idler sprockets 15. These sprockets 15 being mounted eccentric to the center-of the disks 12- 13 are caused to move in acircle in unison, which movement acts to give the traveling length of film, passing between platen and gate 6, between the sprockets 15 on the disks 12--13, a reclprocating movement, the length of .the' stroke of which movement is approximately double the length of the surface of film exposed over the opening 4, From this it will be seen that by proportioning the pinions e to the gear 7 so that the speed of the recipro cal movement of the film will be equal to the speed of travel of the film when the reciprocal movement is in a direction opposite thatof the direction of travel of the film, the film will be stationary in relation to the lens 2 and when the reciprocal movement is in the same direction as that of the travel of the film, the speed of the film in relation to the lens will be double that of the normal speed of the film at a point adjacent the reels 16 and 21. In like manner, the sprockets on the disks l213 being mounted eccentric to the center of the disks and on corresponding sides thereof, by reason of moving in 'a circle in unison, acts to give that portion ofthe film passing between the plate 5 and gateG in front of the lens 2' a reciprocating movement, the length of the stroke of which movement is approximately double the length of the surface of film exposed over the opening 4. This causes the film between the sprockets 15 on the disks -1213 to be stationary in relation to the lens 2, When the reciprocal 1nove ment is inthe-opposite direction of that of the travel of the film, and to double the speed oi the film' in relation to the speed at a point adjacent the reels 16 and 21, when the. reciprocal movement is in the same direction as that-of the normal travel of the film. 'By 'arrangingthesprockets 15 on the disks 12--13 on the" diametrically opposite ide of those on the disks 1213, as shown in Fig. 1, one portion ofthe film passing be- .hind one lens will remain in stationary relation to that lens, while another portion of the film passing behind the other lens will be travelingv at accelerated speed, this operation alternating between. the lenses 2-2, so that an exposure can he made first through the lens 2, then through the lens 2, the shutters 2323 operating to successively open and close the lenses 2-2. The pinio'ns'g-g on the shutters 2323' are so proportioned in relation to the gears 7-7 as to rotate the shutters -2323 one complete revolution during one complete reciprocation of the film, and each shutter, 223 -23 is provided with. an open space so arranged as to necessarily open the lenses 22 when the film is stationary in relation to the respective lenses, the shutters closing the lenses when the film moves in relation thereto, as before mentioned. By this arrangement a series of successive exposures may be made on the film while it is in continuous movement from one reel to the other; one exposure being made through the lens 2 and another through-the lens 2' at different points on the film, a distance equaling ten exposure areas intervening between and the area By advancing the the area exposed to thelens 2 exposed tothe lens 2.

illm behind each lens a distance equal to two exposure arias, and arranging the length of film between the two lenses so that the area skipped by the upper lens 2on1 be exposed by the lower lens 2, a continuous series of exposures will be made throughout the length of the film. In the embodiment of this invention, a color filter or screen R is disposed between the inner end of the lens 2 and the openings, and a similar screen G is placed between the inner end of the lens 2 and the opening 4. These screens or color filters R-G may be made of glass, or any other substance of suitable transparency, and are hereinafter described as being colored red and green, respectively, for the purposes of explanation, though other complimentary colors may be employed, if desired.

From the foregoing it will be seen that thefilm may be wound in either direction, as desired, the belt being shifted to the reel 16 when the film is to be Wound from the reel 21. This permits of the direction of travel of the film being reversed at any time.

It is obvious that while I have shown and described the invention as applied to a camera, it is equally applicable for use on projecting machines, reproducing machines, and in any apparatus Where it is clesired to give a ribbon an intermittent movement in relation to a fixed point.

In the operation of the invention a panchromatic film, which is sensitive to: colored rays of light, is employed. In exposing the sensitized film to the action of the colored light rays passing through the two screens R and G, the images reflected by the lenses 2- will be registered upon the film according to their color. For instance, the red rays emanating from an object would be filtered and absorbed by the green screen G, so that no record or exposure of the red object would be produced on that portion of the film behind the lens 2 and screen G, other than its outline, while the image of the blue and green portions of the object are recorded upon that portion of thefilm, just mentioned. In like manner, the bluegreen light rays are absorbed. by the red screen R, so that no record of the bluegreen portions of the object will be made and while the red portions of the object being projected through the red screen are recorded on' that portion of the film opposite the red screen R, the recorded portions being opaque or dense in proportion to the amount oi red rays passing through the screen R.

From the foregoing it will be seen that.

when thc shutters 23-Q3 are moved to per mit light rays to pass through the lenses 2---2 and screen RG. that two separate exposures will be made simultaneously on the portions of the film spanning the openings 4-4, one oil the exposures recordingthe blue-green images and the other recording the red images, of the objects photographed.

The negative film thus produced, and which is the product of the machine constituting my present invention, is then reproduced upon a positive film. this positive film being colored on adjacent exposed areas, to correspond in color to the screens R G, the portion of the positive film recording the green images being colored red and the portion recording the red images being colored green, so that when light rays are passed through the film, a photographic image corresponding in form and color to the image photographed will be reproduced. However, if color screens are used on the projecting machine corresponding to the screens R G on the camera, it will not be necessary to color the positive film, as just described.

This machine is so constructed that two pictures are taken from different points of view; and when projected from these dif- 'ferent points alternately and superposing each upon the other the following advantages or sheets are secured: First, each picture is a distinct record of a color sensation, being photographed through a stationary color screen; second, flicker is eliminated entirely when this picture is projected upon a screen in the same manner in Which it was taken. By superpcsing one picture upon the other I can do away entirely with the shutter, usually employed on a projecting machine, because the period of movement is so small in comparison to the period of rest, picture number one remaining upon the screen while number two, or the next one of the series is moving. This movement of change from one picture to the next is so rapid and occurs at the time the screen is illuminated by the previous picture, so that it cannot be noticed by the eye.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an apparatus for the production of motion pictures in color, the combination with a pair of superposed spaced lenses, shutters therefor, and color screens adjacent to the shutters, of a pair of disks adjacent to each color screen, means for rotating said disks in unison, a film engaging wheel eccentrically mounted on each of said disks, said wheels so arranged in relation to each other that the wheels on the upper pair of disks will be below the axis thereoi when the wheels on the lower pair of disks will be above the axis thereof, and means for directing a single film to and from said wheels.

In an apparatus for the production of motion pictures in color, the combination with a pair of superposed lenses, color screens behind the lenses and shutters inter- 1 sides thereof opposite thereto, means for diposed between the screens and lenses, of a resting a single film to and from said pair of spaced gear wheels, means for rowheels, and means controlled by one of the tating said gear Wheels in unison, means for spaced gears for winding the film. 1.) 5 operating the shutter from said gear Wheels, In testimony whereof I have hereunto set a pair of disks geared to each of said gear my hand in the presence oi two subscribing wheels, a film engaging Wheel eeeentrically witnesses.

mounted on each of said disks, arranged VICTOR L. DUHEM.

with the wheels on one pair of disks 0n corl \Vitnesses: 10 responding sides of its axes, and With the CiiAnL cs EDELMAN,

wheels on the other palr of disks on the C. C. Coon. 

